This invention relates to an apparatus for hydraulically controlling the stroke of hydraulic cylinders.
Both mechanical and hydraulic cylinder stroke limiters are currently in production. Of the many variations of hydraulic stroke limiters, some are integral to their cylinder, thereby increasing cylinder cost and decreasing design flexibility since such stroke limiters cannot be added on to existing non-stroke limited cylinders. Many hydraulic stroke limiters include valves which have moving parts which are exposed to the environment, thus requiring sliding seals which can become contaminated. Some have rigid linkages which are exterior to the cylinder and which, if bent, can prevent operation of the cylinder stop system. Such rigid linkage systems may also be difficult to adapt to different cylinder designs since precise alignment of the linkage must be maintained.